Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken

Black Pepper Chicken is the savory, peppery entree on the Panda Express line: marinated chicken wok tossed with celery and onions in a black pepper sauce, 280 calories a serving, ordered inside formats from $8.50. It sits in the useful middle of the menu, more assertive than the mushroom and string bean dishes and far lighter than anything battered.

Pepper does the heavy lifting here, coarse enough to read as its own flavor rather than background seasoning. Celery is the surprise ingredient that makes the dish work, adding water and crunch that keeps the pepper from turning heavy, while the onions go sweet at the edges in the wok. The sauce is dark, thin and savory, with no sugar leading. It arrives looking almost plain, and the smell gives it away before the first bite.

Black Pepper Chicken calories are 280 with 13 g of protein and 15 g of carbs, which lands it comfortably under the glazed entrees while carrying more flavor punch than its calorie count suggests. Fat comes in at 19 g and sodium at 1,130 mg, the figure to watch given how savory the sauce runs. Published flags are wheat, soy and sesame.

How much is Black Pepper Chicken? Stores price entrees locally, so plan around the formats: $8.50 for a Bowl, $10.50 for two entrees, $12.50 for three.

It suits anyone tired of sweet fast food and works especially well as the second entree on a Plate beside something glazed. Pair it with White Steamed Rice at 520 calories, which absorbs the pepper sauce properly, or with Super Greens at 130 calories for a bowl that stays light. Black Pepper Sirloin Steak at 180 calories is the premium version of the same flavor idea, built on real sirloin.